View allAll Photos Tagged Leveler
MUCH BETTER seen on BLACK or in LARGE size.
BAUTA: "The Bauta is to be considered the traditional venitian mask, the one mostly used to cover your features, made in a way that it is still possible to eat and drink without having to take it off.
The Bauta is always white, and it is not only a Carnival mask, in the sense in those times it could also be used all year long, to protect one's identity. It consisted not only of the mask covering the face, but the finely woven lace, and the black hat with three tips (tricorno).
The name bauta does not have up to now, a definite interpretation: it may came from the German "behüten"(to protect), as well as from "bau" (or "babau"), typical Italian representation of the monster, or bad beast, used by adults to scare children:
"Se non stai bravo viene il babau e ti porta via …
(if you do not behave, the babau will come over and take you away …)"
In a way, the Bauta was some kind of a social leveler. All ages, all social statuses could get together, all of them wearing a mask and concealing their true identity.
It was mandatory all year long for women who went to the theater and forbidden to girls waiting to be married.
Light and "confortable", because of the narrow nose, the mask sort of modifies the voice pitch, and of course romantic encounters were a lot simplified, this way …"
www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/bauta.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_mask
Second Life - Venexia
Happy Saturday Levelers!! We are bringing you some dope tunes to get you moving and feeling good! Join us: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20City/225/238/3002?fb...
Capacité de la décapeuse : 28,28 m³
Travaux de terrassement de la tranche 3 de ZAC Europôle 2 de la Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines visant à créer 3 plateformes pour un total de 234 915 m².
Pays : France 🇫🇷
Région : Grand Est (Lorraine)
Département : Moselle (57)
Ville : Hambach (57910)
Adresse : ZAC Europôle 2
Construction : Avril 2025 → Novembre 2025
at Durham City
this weir system was built
to alter the level and speed of the river
to save a lot of flooding in normal conditions
which got even worse in bad weather ,,,,
the Cathedral and Castle in the background
to my right in this picture is a little more of the systems
levelers ,,,
,,,
You have been sent 1 picture.
SH100351 (2015_10_23 18_05_04 UTC).JPG
These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: picasa.google.com/
Snowy night on an East Village street.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming
USA
I call this machine a road leveler even though that is not it's actual name. It is used in the park to even out the snow on the top of the road not to shovel it off the road. Notice all of the snow on the road (which is totally invisible).
Two other images are seen in the first comment section.
July 1, 2018 - Geitafoss Waterfall is just downstream from Goðafoss Waterfall it is located on the Skjálfandafljót river in the Bárðardalur district of the northeast region of Iceland.
I bought a new tripod before the trip and hauled it to get great motion shots of waterfalls, however I forgot to turn my lens stabilization off so I wasn't happy with my resulting photographs. I also lost one of the leveler glides!
A stereographic projection of the first equirectangular panorama taken with my 5Dmkii, 15-35mm L lens and new Nodal Ninja 5 with R-D12 Rotator and EZ-Leveler 2.
I did make the mistake of shooting this panorama at f/2.8. I'm a little rusty I guess! I also only stitched this at 6000x3000 pix so I didn't really take advantage of the 21mp sensor this time.
The Nodal Ninja is by far the best panoramic tripod head out there. It is lightweight, sturdy, easy to use, compact, and best of all- affordable. Whether you are just getting into panoramic photography, or are a seasoned pro with a big heavy camera and lenses, Nodal Ninja has a panoramic tripod head to fit your skill level and your budget.
Am I a good little ambassador or what? :)
Winter night in Times Square.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Winter night i the East Village.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Taken in the Blue Ash suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.
They have been working on this small section of road for over a year and still aren't done. They built two roundabouts, but I'm not sure what they are doing right hear although it looks like they are close to paving. The biggest reason for the delay in completion has likely been that they have maintained traffic in this heavily used area.
This machine was parked just down the street for awhile in a place where getting a shot would have been tougher than where I took this shot. When we saw it here on the weekend when traffic was low, I thought I could risk trying to get a shot, so parked and then walked a bit of a distance to take it. I would have preferred to have been on the other side of the street to get shoot, but it was not to be. Maybe I'll get another chance this coming weekend.
"If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of introspection." --Patrick Rothfuss
An ex boyfriend of mine once asked for a second chance. We parted ways and eventually became amicable towards eachother (or so I hope.) When I declined, I told him that he was too late, that I had moved on, and that despite the fact that it was appealing going back to him, doing so would mean that I was moving backwards. That was not a concept he understood, nor did I care to elaborate for fear of offending him.
The most important, recurring, and repetitive theme in my life is the desire to move forward, to grow, and to evolve. I constantly try to learn, to grow, to improve. Though it's not like a daily ritual, it is an overarching theme. I am constantly frustrated at myself for not being better, but I am better than I was a year, six months, even two weeks ago.
And while growth is the most important thing to me, I have a constant fear of... well, lots of things. Of being scared and alone and no one to embrace me. Of being lost in a place and not knowing the language. Of failure. Of not having the comforts I have grown accustomed to. Of having to ask my dad, yet again, for some money.
This isn't a formal essay or a published work of writing. So I'm not going to give a satisfying conclusion, or a call to action, or even advice to others. I hope all this made sense, and to anyone who is still reading this: These are the things that drive me. I guess you know a little more about me. (:
Is education a social ladder to personal and professional success in China? Here in Chinatown from Paris
OVERVIEW
The 20 year-old sock factory worker, Liu Yong, wants to save money to study anything that she wants. Her dream is to get an education and become a doctor. A disabled migrant worker in the episode "Getting Rich" states, "My son is three years old. No matter what, we want him to get some education when he gets older. I don't want him to go out to work somewhere else. I have high hopes for my son." How can these migrant workers and other economically disadvantaged groups in China change their lives and destinies through educational reform? Is education a social ladder to success? In the following discussion, we provide some background introduction about the Chinese tradition of selecting civil servants through examination as well as current problems that exist in education and society. The discussion questions will lead students to explore the many sides of these issues.
ISSUES FOR EXPLORATION
Education has been regarded as a ladder of social ascendancy in China since ancient time. The most famous saying about "study" in China is from a poem in Song Dynasty (960-1279) by Wang Zhu, literarily translated as "The emperor values heroes, book can teach you (how to be). Everything else is low-grade, only study is above all." This poem has been considered as the golden rule in China for hundreds of years. It encourages people to study. But why is "study" so important? There is also a poem persuading people to study from the Song Dynasty that says, "In the book, there is a lot of food, a house made of gold, and a pretty girl." It implies that studying can make you have enough to eat, a fancy house, and a beautiful woman. But what makes education so powerful in Chinese society? The imperial civil service examination is the answer.
The imperial civil service examination began in 605 AD in Sui Dynasty, developing and maturing in the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, and continuing to the Qing Dynasty, and lasting continuously for 1300 years. The imperial civil service examination had a huge influence on Chinese society. Even China's neighboring countries such as Japan and Vietnam imported this system. The civil service personnel examination in modern times also evolved from this system, although recent scholarship suggests that the civil service examination was less of a social ladder than an earlier generation of scholars believed. This imperial civil service examination selected officials for government. If a person studied well, he could pass the examination, and would have a chance to be selected to an official position. If someone became an official, he would receive respect from others as well as obtain the power and fortune from the position. So, the person's whole life was changed. Therefore, many poor scholars studied for years and years in the hope of passing the examination and obtaining a coveted official position. There were numerous stories about how the scholars worked very, very hard, and finally passed the examination and succeeded in getting official positions. These stories encouraged generations of generations of youth in China to study hard, making it into a tradition. The higher level examination that one passed, the higher official position one got. As a result, more power, more respect, and more fortune one would have achieved. The system became a social ladder. In Tang Dynasty, 80% of the prime ministers were from Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). In 320 years time, Song Dynasty held 118 Imperial Civil Service examinations with more than 20,000 people passed the highest imperial examinations becoming Jinshi. In the 277 years of Ming Dynasty 89 examinations were held with 17,000 people passed the highest imperial examinations becoming Jinshi. In the 267 years of Qing Dynasty 120 examinations were held with 26,000 people passed the highest imperial examinations becoming Jinshi.
Although the imperial civil service examination has been abolished for over a 100 years, its influence on Chinese culture, education, people's behavior and thinking still exists. The college entrance examination in China now can be seen as extension and variation from the imperial civil service examination. Every summer the whole country holds the college entrance examination with the same examination questions of the same subjects on the same three days. If one gets a higher score, he or she can go to college. If one fails to pass the examination, he or she has to wait for a year to take the examination again or loses the chances of studying at a college. Whether one can enter a college to receive formal higher education becomes a bridge to a successful life for high school students in China. It is the symbol of success in the 12 year's basic education. It has become consensus of most of the high school graduates and their parents that getting into a famous university through college entrance examination is the way to obtain a high pay and dignified job nowadays.
Though it is every government's goal, providing Education for All is a tall order for the world's most populous nation. Despite pledges by the Chinese government that mass education is one of their priorities, after half a century of the People's Republic, China continues to be a country governed by a tiny educated elite while university education remains a dream for the greatest majority of population. In a country of 1.3 billion people, there are just 2.5 million university places. Only three or four of every 100 Chinese pass the entrance exams. Things were getting better in the past few years with all the universities and colleges having expanded enrolment, but the expansion was far from enough. Because of a high barrier at the university level, students compete to get into high schools that offer the best preparation. This determines a child's future from an early age. Severe competition begins at elementary school where children under 10-year-old struggle to get the best grades, spending long hours over school lessons and homework in order to get better grades. Only better grades in elementary school can make children remain in the competition from the starting points, and have the chance to get into a good high school, then from high school to college. School children in China have no leisure time to play in their childhood.
Noticing this problem, the Ministry of Education announced that primary school students were not going to get homework in the coming semester in 2005. The announcement that schools would boldly experiment with new teaching methods aimed at raising ''well- rounded'' individuals. It should have been a cause for jubilation but it made hundreds of Chinese parents worry. They feared their children might not get into high school and university. Moreover, they dreaded that new reforms would handicap their sole offspring for life, depriving them of the potential to get well-paid jobs. Educational reform needs to take many different aspects into consideration. The ease of educational burden must begin at the university level admission, noting that if the teaching process is to be made more humane, the educators should stop relying solely on the grades when admitting students to colleges. A research team with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently reported on social mobility in contemporary China has grabbed a lot of public attention. The report says social groups occupying higher positions on the social ladder have had a better chance of passing their title and positions to their children since the 1980s. At the same time, children from less advantaged classes are facing tougher and tougher challenges to make their way into these positions. These emerging trends in social mobility in China need to be taken seriously.
Social mobility, people's ability to move from one social stratum to another - which is mainly reflected in their economic status - is an index that gauges a country's social justice and openness. In developed countries it is relatively easy to become more affluent, and move up a class or two. In China this ability to move has radically changed over the last half century. Before the country embarked on its reform and opening up policy more than two decades ago, China's social mobility was political. Anything political - such as political leanings, political identity - at that time could have a deciding say on people's social status. When the reform and opening-up policies were launched, China shifted its focus to economic development. The move has meant that a person's occupation has replaced their political status in determining which stratum they belong to. Merit also has an increasingly important role in how a person's social status is fixed. The ideal social mobility pattern is one in which more and more farmers and workers switch to other higher social groups, increasing the middle class. Only after such a pattern is properly in place can China become a truly just and open society. To achieve this goal, educational reform is needed. China's wealth gap between urban and rural communities is among the highest in the world now. There exist the serious imbalances between primary and higher education in China. Efforts must be made to give top priority to primary education, particularly for the rural population. Currently, this has become the government's policy being applied in the poverty stricken rural areas in middle and western China and continued efforts are being made to improve primary and middle schools. Improving the educational level of farmers plays an important role in raising their skill levels and ultimately their incomes. Educational institutes should make the curriculum and the education system more relevant to the demands of the labor market, the establishment of community colleges for vocational training to disadvantage groups and enterprise training.
China's imperial civil service examination played an important role in Chinese history of education. It created a group of well educated officials serving the country. The system encouraged thousands of youths from both rich and poor families to study, to work hard in order to achieve success in career and life. It created comparatively equal opportunities and competitions in official selections. Modern civil service system and college entrance examinations still have a lot to learn from the old system. However, with social changes and economic reform continuing, new problems appeared. A new educational system is needed to meet the challenge of the modern society. We should think how to fill the wealth gap between urban and rural communities, how to help more and more farmers and workers switch to other higher social groups, increasing the middle class; and how educational reform can help people like the sock factory and motor factory workers in "China Rises" and thousands of migrant workers and their children to reach their dreams in getting better education, finding secured jobs and living a good life.
ON THE HORIZON
1. Questions about the imperial civil service examination and ancient view on "study": How does the imperial civil service examination affect Chinese society?
• What do you think of the imperial civil service examination? Is it a good or bad system? Why?
• If the imperial civil service examination is a good system, should China restore it in modern form? Why?
• If the imperial civil service examination is a bad system, what bad result did it make?
• Do you agree that the imperial civil service examination encouraged students to work harder? Why?
• Do you agree that in general Chinese students study harder than American students because of the influence of the saying
"Everything else is low-grade, only study is above all."
• Do you agree with the above old saying? Tell your reason.
• What can we learn from the imperial civil service examination system in modern time?
• Explore what systems were used to select officials in ancient China before the imperial civil service examination began.
• Find stories about how ancient Chinese scholars studied painstakingly to prepare for taking the imperial civil service examination.
2. Questions about the college entrance examination in China: How does the college entrance examination affect modern China's education?
• Compare the college entrance examination in China with the imperial civil service examination. Find similarities and differences.
• Compare the college entrance examination in China with the college admission process in the U.S. Find strong and weak points of each system respectively.
• Do you think the college entrance examination in China is fair for all the students? Why?
• Do you think the college entrance examination in China provides equal opportunities for all the people who want to get higher education?
• How to improve the college entrance examination in China?
• Can the college entrance examination help China to fill the economic gap between urban and rural area? Why?
• Did the college entrance examination help people to obtain the ability of moving from one social status to another? Why?
• After studying about Chinese imperial civil service examination and the college entrance examination, please tell your view on what is an examination system with fair competition.
3. Questions about current educational reform: How can educational reform help create a fair, open and harmonious society in China?
• What are the major problems in China's educational system, those cause the imbalance in education between urban and rural areas?
• How can education help the economically disadvantaged group in China to change their life?
• In the past the Chinese believed that "Everything else is low-grade, only study is above all." Do you think it works in the same way in modern China as in ancient China? Why?
• With current educational system in China can the migrant workers and their children make their dream true to get a better life through education?
• What is the priority for educational reform in China?
• Are there any good points in the American educational system that the Chinese can learn?
• If you were the minister of education in China, what would you do to reform the educational system to help create a fair, open and harmonious society in China?
• If you were the minister of education in China, what would you do to change the educational policy to help create a fair, open and harmonious society in China?
• Imagine that you are in a small mountainous village to set up a Hope Elementary School. You are the only teacher with a group of 25 kids aging from 6 to 12. What do you plan to do to help these kids get equal education?
archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/college/coll-chin...
Many families see school as the place where every child has an equal chance to learn, grow, and access future opportunities. We hope classrooms will open doors, nurture potential, and prepare children for a bright future. Yet conversations around the US education system suggest a more complicated reality. Schooling is not only about learning—it can also reflect deeper social structures, sometimes acting as an informal screening tool tied to social class.
Understanding how these dynamics work doesn’t mean losing faith in schools. Instead, it helps families make informed decisions, advocate effectively, and create richer educational experiences for their children at home.
Introduction
While schools aim to provide equal access to learning, the path through the system is not the same for every child. Differences in funding, curriculum decisions, available programs, and family resources mean that educational experiences can vary widely from one community to the next.
Exploring these complexities allows families to better support their children. This article outlines how and why the US education system sometimes functions as a sorting mechanism—and what families can do to navigate it more confidently.
The Dual Role of Schools: Learning Environment and Sorting System
Schools are designed to promote knowledge, critical thinking, and personal development. Ideally, every child would receive the same encouragement and tools needed to thrive. But in practice, schools often serve another function: sorting students into different academic or social pathways.
Researchers describe this sorting process as part of social stratification—a system where individuals are organized into layers based on factors like wealth, access, or opportunity. In schools, this can happen through the availability of resources, placement into certain classes, or access to extracurricular programs. Over time, these differences can influence a child’s future academic and career options.
How the US Education System Shapes Social Mobility
Social mobility refers to the ability to move up or down the social ladder. Education is widely viewed as the key driver of upward mobility. However, certain features of the US school system can unintentionally limit this movement—especially for students in under-resourced areas.
Funding disparities and resource gaps
Public school funding in many states is tied to local property taxes. Schools in wealthier neighborhoods benefit from higher revenue, which can translate into:
Smaller class sizes
Higher teacher salaries
Updated facilities and technology
More varied electives and advanced courses
Stronger college counseling or enrichment programs
Schools in lower-income neighborhoods often operate with fewer resources, affecting the depth and quality of educational opportunities available to their students.
Access to libraries, science labs, arts programs, or even full-time counselors can differ dramatically, shaping both academic preparation and long-term confidence.
Curriculum tracking and its influence
“Tracking” groups students into different academic levels—such as honors, AP, or general education. While the intention is to tailor instruction, placement can sometimes reflect more than academic ability. Socioeconomic background, early childhood opportunities, and even unconscious biases can influence track placement.
Once a student is placed on a particular track, it can be difficult to move to a more rigorous one. This can affect access to competitive colleges, scholarships, and advanced study.
Standardized testing: helpful measure or barrier?
Standardized tests are used to compare student performance, evaluate schools, and guide decisions like college admissions. However, these tests may reflect inequities in:
Access to tutoring
Test preparation materials
Enrichment programs
Early literacy or numeracy experiences
Critics note that standardized tests can unintentionally favor students with greater resources. Families can read more about the development and debates surrounding standardized testing on Britannica.
www.thethinkacademy.com/blog/edubriefs-unpacking-the-us-s...
'Seoul Learn' is a project that provides equal educational opportunities to the vulnerable population that has difficulties in accessing educational resources due to socioeconomic reasons. Educational inequality in Korea has been identified as the main culprit behind generational poverty. The project offers various educational services via public platforms to prevent education from causing inequalities.As the Covid-19 pandemic widened the educational gap, educational inequalities emerged as a serious social issue. At the same time, educational inequality has been identified as the main culprit behind generational poverty. Such disparity in education arises from unequal access to education and highly differs according to parents’ economic status. There is a deepening educational gap due to socioeconomic background, degree of private education outside of school, and support and educational resources provided by parents. Families earning 8 million won or more every month spend 5.1 times more on monthly private education per person (593,000 won) than those earning less than 2 million won (116,000 won) (Statistics Korea, 2021). Children of parents with fewer assets and education tend to underachieve (OECD’s PISA, 2018). '
Seoul Learn' is a welfare policy that provides various complimentary educational services to the vulnerable class through public platforms to prevent education from causing inequalities.The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) is pursuing three goals and following basic plans that were set while establishing 'Seoul Learn' policies:
Creating “a fair city of education” by focusing on supporting low-income families and tackling educational disparities induced by income levels
Creating “a sustainable city of education” by offering educational content customized for each life cycle
Creating “an innovative city of education” by building innovative educational platforms that combine different educational technologies
Prior to the project, the SMG evaluated the pre-existing online learning environment for teenagers from low-income families to achieve a practical outcome. It verified that underprivileged students had received learning devices, such as tablet PCs and Internet services from the city government and the office of education. The SMG and the office of education cooperated in providing the necessary support to those students to have seamless remote education amid the pandemic. When students needed additional support, Seoul introduced them to the “PC of Love” distribution project and ensured that they had immediate help.
After confirming that the physical environment was ready, Seoul prepared an administrative foundation by revamping related city ordinances. Then, it gathered together with the like-minded office of education and businesses to launch the website of Seoul Learn on August 27, 2021 and started to provide educational services.
Teenage Seoul citizens belonging to a vulnerable group (children of low-income groups, school dropouts, children of multicultural families, and others) can take an online qualification test and join Seoul Learn. Member students can choose up to three educational content providers (1 regular school subject, 1 language and certificate, and 1 reading) and enjoy all of their content without any limits. In addition, members can apply for 1:1 online and offline mentoring services affiliated with prestigious universities in Korea. Mentors from each college are helping teenage students with their learning plans, emotional stability, and career design. Private companies are also joining the project by providing learning materials, such as textbooks, as part of their corporate social responsibility activities.
Seoul aims to develop the website of Seoul Learn into an educational platform combining educational technologies by July 2023. This will allow the SMG to manage learning history, make it into data sets, and provide tailored education. The city government also plans to prepare interactive, hands-on remote educational programs.
oecd-opsi.org/innovations/seoul-learn-for-restoring-educa...
Sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
Winter night in midtown Manhattan.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Thought I'd share what I usually have with me when I venture out to get some shots of the Carolinas
• RED LED Flashlight for astrophotography
• Headlamp (w/red LED)
• UV LED Flashlight
• Lensatic Compass to avoid getting lost
• Leatherman Wave
• Allen Wrench Key
• Zippo Hand Warmer
• Triple Torch
• TekFire Lighter
• Extra Batteries (AA's, AAA's, Camera Batteries
• Canon EOS 80D with spare battery grip
• Gimbal Head
• Nodal Slide
• Neewer Tripod Leveler
• Neewer Carbon Fiber Tripod
• Minolta flash meter
• Lenses
○ Sigma 18-35 Art
○ Canon TS 24mm F3.5L
○ Canon 70-200 F4L
○ Canon EF 50mm F1.8 STM
○ Canon-EF-s 10-18mm
○ Canon-EF-s 24mm
○ Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro
• Filters
○ Hoya DMC Pro1 Circular Polarizer
○ Hoya Red Enhancer
○ Singh Ray Warming Polarizer
○ Singh Ray Gold-n-Blue Polarizer
○ Zomei 10-Stop ND Filter
Shot on location as part of the photowalk series near Roggenbeuren, Germany.
Film: Fuji Acros 100
Camera: Hasselblad FlexBody CP
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
Filter: LEE Wide-Angle Hood, LEE No. 8
Meter: Sekonic L-508
Scan: SilverFast Ai 8 Studio
Bag: Wotancraft Shadow Warrior
Capacité de la décapeuse : 28,28 m³
Travaux de terrassement de la tranche 3 de ZAC Europôle 2 de la Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines visant à créer 3 plateformes pour un total de 234 915 m².
Pays : France 🇫🇷
Région : Grand Est (Lorraine)
Département : Moselle (57)
Ville : Hambach (57910)
Adresse : ZAC Europôle 2
Construction : Avril 2025 → Novembre 2025
I guess I'm due to post a photo. I have been too busy this week to do much in the way of photography. I am heading out in the motorhome in a few days on this year's big roadtrip. This week I have been insanely busy working on the motorhome. There is a lot of maintenance involved with these things. My leveler jacks were leaking oil, I had to pull them off and have them rebuilt. My parking brake is STILL not working, just to name a few projects I've been working on. That and the routine crap. Oil changes on the motorhome and my truck. New filters. Check and top off all the fluids, etc, etc, etc...
So anyway... I shot this a couple months ago along the Bush Highway, back when things were green and beautiful around here. At the time, I was thinking that in another week or two all the flowers would be blooming. NOT! Unfortunately, about a week after I shot this, everything suddenly died and turned completely brown. Bummer!
Father Duffy Square on a winter night.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Capacité de la décapeuse : 28,28 m³
Travaux de terrassement de la tranche 3 de ZAC Europôle 2 de la Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines visant à créer 3 plateformes pour un total de 234 915 m².
Pays : France 🇫🇷
Région : Grand Est (Lorraine)
Département : Moselle (57)
Ville : Hambach (57910)
Adresse : ZAC Europôle 2
Construction : Avril 2025 → Novembre 2025
Shot on location as part of the photowalk series near river Argen, Germany.
Camera: Hasselblad FlexBody CP
Film: Fuji Acros 100
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
Meter: Sekonic L-508
Scan: SilverFast Ai Studio
Bag: Wotancraft Shadow Warrior
A member of the species known as the Nameless, these creatures appear in the High Republic era of Star Wars. I have been wanting to make one for a while, and I’m happy with how it turned out!
Also featuring an unfortunate Jedi.
Manfrotto geared head for most of my work and Nodal Ninja III MK II with EZ Leveler for Panos...a great combo!!!!
Panorama using two different frames with two exposures each frame. An ambient exposure and an overexposure. Painted in some light from the over. Used a Nodal Ninja w/ an EZ Leveler and had the camera as high as it would go on my tripod.
Shot on location as part of the photowalk series in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Post-processing done in Capture One 20.
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
Film: Kodak Tri-X 400
Lab: blow-up Fotolabor
Press 'L' for fullscreen view.
An excursion with Simon to try out my Sunwayfoto leveler and Sirui KX-20 ball head...both worked like a charm...
This is the first time I attempt to do this light painting photography. This hour is when everything went pitch dark, you could hardly notice any crap infront of you as well. But I never know it was so much fun to do this.
How was this shot made:
1.Position my tripod as middle as I could to make this shot as symmetry as possible.
2. Use my little green leveler to check the balance of the horizon.
3. Use my LED flash light (from CtLetrik, Alor Star^^) to light up the middle of the bridge so my camera can focus.
4. Camera setting is Aperture Priority Mode, Auto WB,f/4.5, Iso 250 and 30 sec exposure.
5. During the 30 sec exposure, paint the bridge with my cool tone LED light with a warmer tone torch. Mix it up and the artificial lighting is created.
6. DON`T ASK ME WHY THE COLOR OF THE SEA IS GREEN...
I am very resilient aren't I, I just keep going. I can't boast that I can squeeze through all the holes but like a rubber ball I bounce back. I decided to go through all my pictures as I wasn't logged into my Flickr account on my other computer and thought it a good idea and wise to check if they are all properly tagged as to being being safe or not. To be honest I didn't find much which needed to be restricted but one has to be so careful as I think I am just above the line and should they find something they didn't like I wouldn't know where to start looking for the miscreant. On the whole though I was pleased as even a safe viewing captures the charms and moods of Jojo and the adult ones just put a bit of icing on the cake. I must admit I don't much care for 'smut' and I always bear in mind that what might be tasteful for me might be a bit too crude for others. Having my bus pictures on here as well is a great leveler and I like to think even with the still tasteful unrestricted pictures I have got the balance right. I deliberately keep the picture flow is mixed and yes today it's the turn to show of my long legs in that so tight rubber dress..
A member of the species known as the Nameless, these creatures appear in the High Republic era of Star Wars. I have been wanting to make one for a while, and I’m happy with how it turned out!
...Simple Plan
I went out shooting last night by myself and ended up by the Adler Planetarium as the sun was going down. When I first got there, I walked along the north side of the planetarium and ran into some people from a photography club who were very nice. They were setting up their tripods, planning to do panos of the skyline. Several of them had these cool little levelers that I just added to my Amazon wish list for when I need to get my order up to $25 for free shipping! ;) Since they were waiting for the sun to go down to really get started, and I hadn't walked around the planetarium in years, I packed up my things and headed off.
It's an eastern view out to the lake, but the setting sun spread its warm colors around and I got some shots of a beautiful sailboat as it was slowly and gracefully heading south. As I headed around to the south side of the building, there is a small inlet and beach. These two kids had just gotten in the water and they walked out to where you see them here. The air was very chilly, I was wearing gloves and a warm jacket and could hardly stand the thought of how cold I would be if I were them. They were throwing rocks out into the lake and I kept shooting and waited for them to do something that would look nice in silhouette. I finally got tired of waiting for them and I shouted out to them and asked if they would hold hands for a picture! Luckily they obliged for a minute while I got off a few quick shots. I don't think that they were boyfriend and girlfriend and, rather, just friends. I thanked them when they got our of the water and showed them the shots.
I made my way back around to the people from the photo club that I had met earlier and setup again. I don't think I got any shots to be excited about. I also discovered that my sensor is incredibly dirty and the muck is just further enhanced when doing long exposure. As soon as it got so dark that long expo was my only option, I headed home for the night.
Special shout-out to Flickr_Rick. I got to talk to him yesterday as we are trying to resolve our issues with our Pocket Wizards. It was great to talk to you, Rick! Thanks for including me trying to resolve this, it's been a thorn in my side since last year when I got them!
Since it's Sliders Sunday, I played around with this shot both in Lightroom and CS5 until I got it just so! Enjoy the rest of the weekend, it'll be Monday morning before we know it! HSS!!
Artwork: Dame Edna's Looute
Artist: Karen TOOTH
Base Vehicle: Holden 1965 HD utility
Vehicle Donated by: Taylor's Auto Centre
Story: "An icon...On an icon...In an icon.
An icon...Instantly recognised as one of Australia's great personalities, Dame Edna transformed herself from housewife to international megastar, a transformation that parallels our country's growth from and isolated wild colony to an innovative player on the world stage.
On an icon...once there was a toilet out back in every yard of every house in Australia. Commonly referred to as 'The Dunny' it is a true social and economic leveler. No matter who we are, we all have to make the trip out back.
In an Icon...The Holden ute's development reflects the changing social history of this country from a practical workhouse in earlier times, to a performance focused sports vehicle for today's work-hard, play-hard generation. What a surprise for all of us to innocently discover Dame Edna on her throne, reading her local newspaper."
Vanitas Symbolism
A vanitas still-life painting or photograph represents an old genre that goes back at least to the 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painters (with some notable contributions as well from the Spanish). It’s moralistic through and through, its message deriving ultimately from passages in the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, stressing the fragility and impermanence of life and life’s pleasures both intellectual, cultural, hedonistic, and artistic. From the Hebrew Bible: “Vanity of vanity, saith the preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12: 8). From the Gospel of Matthew: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (6: 19-20). I hasten to add that I am not a religious person—but I find the vanitas genre fascinating. I tried to represent as many vanitas symbols as I could. What follows, for those academically inclined, is a brief explanation of the 5 categories covering the typical icons.
Category 1: Items representing hedonistic indulgence
- musical instruments: the gold clock behind, left, shows a woman playing a lute. Here, the green Russian balalaika is meant to stand in for the stringed instrument that (I presume) would have been readily available during the European Renaissance.
- alcohol and wine goblets: I have two decanters, one with orange liqueur, the other with what seems to be red wine to the left of the half full (or half empty) wine glass. That decanters and glass aren’t full symbolizes how quickly life’s pleasures disappear (see also Category 2).
- food: the limes and the lemon in the glass bowl to the left. The lemon especially is understood to be beautiful to the sight and smell but bitter, just like life can be.
- combs and mirrors symbolize narcissism, our infatuation with personal beauty (our vanity). We have a mirror, difficult to see, laying on its side just beside the fruit.
- objects of art: paintings, busts, statues, and the like. Here we have two paint brushes and a bust (of the ancient Greek poet Homer).
- jewelry: I meant to put some gold rings in there but I forgot. We do have what appears to be a heart-shaped blue diamond and, yes, it’s a replica of the Heart of the Ocean, the famous stone in Titanic and which I purchased for my wife (“she who must be obeyed”) at the Titanic exhibit in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, when I was there a few years ago.
- perfume: we have two small bottles beside the mirror
- items of revelry or sinful living are represented here by dice and playing cards. Four of the five cards have an added, more modern, symbolic significance: two black aces and two black 8s comprise the famous Dead Man’s Hand, allegedly held by American gunfighter Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot down while playing poker. The mask—I can’t pretend to have seen one in a classic vanitas painting—was my idea as another symbol of revelry and reminds me of Poe’s story “The Masque of the Red Death,” which is a vanitas painting in prose.
- expensive items (“conspicuous consumption”) are represented here by the exotic red rug. Though we can barely see it, it’s a prized possession of mine all the way from Turkey.
- seashells are exotic and hard to acquire (see bottom left)
- a terrestrial globe, such as we see on the far left, back, is a meta-symbol of the world’s wealth and vanity (and is made, in this case, of semi-precious stones)
Category 2: Items representing life’s transitory nature and the decay of all earthly things
- music and instruments, while Cat. 1, also belong to Cat. 2 because music is transitory
- coins, as represented here by silver and gold pieces, are also transitory, never staying with us but moving from hand to hand
- bubbles, smoke, candles, butterflies: flame from candles eventually expires, as do we; its smoke recalls Psalm 102:3: “For my days are consumed like smoke.” Bubbles, like life itself, are short-lived, fragile and easily broken; butterflies are beautiful but fragile and easily killed.
- flowers symbolize beauty and so might belong to Cat. 1 but they are short-lived and soon wilt and die, as the photo’s Calla Lilies will. The Book of Job may have provided the inspiration: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days. . . . He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down” (14: 1-2).
- clocks, watches, hour-glasses are centrally significant because they measure and record time passing: with every second, we move closer to death. Here we have three kinds of time pieces: a sand-clock, a normal clock, and a little pocket watch in front of the books. This photo is a 30-second time-exposure: you can actually see the sliver of sand running from the top to the bottom of the sand-clock.
- the skull is the central symbol in a vanitas illustration, symbolizing our inescapable death and decay. We’s all gonna die!
Category 3: Items representing human achievement and culture
- books, for instance, represent the delights of reading. They also contain human knowledge but it’s only of this world, typically, and won’t endure. (Note that one of the two books is a collection of Poe’s works: he illustrates vanitas themes in “The Masque of the Red Death” and a few other tales.)
- writing instruments are related to books and we have a gold pen on top of the Poe edition—but, again, pens record and therefore symbolize human knowledge and culture, which won’t last as this world will eventually come to an end. Human strivings, achievements, and culture are futile and impermanent.
- weapons and armor are products of human culture as well (military culture), but even these can’t protect us from death. The knight’s helmet on the far right is here to remind us of that grim truth. Death is a great leveler: even the wealthiest and most powerful among us will come to the same end as the poorest and weakest.
Category 4: Items representing the permanent in the Christian context
- religious icons such as crucifixes, rosaries, angels, saints, certain types of flora (carnations, ivy, wheat, laurel): these remind us of or symbolize life after death—in other words, what’s truly important. Life in Heaven is eternal as opposed to the transient pleasures of Earth, which we should scorn. I have none of these symbols here because I don’t swing that way, baby. Not all vanitas paintings, even the classic ones, contain religious images.
Category 5: Written messages to clarify the moralistic meaning of the illustration
- for those viewers who can’t figure it out on their own, some painters provide messages, typically in Latin, explaining it all with well-known epigrams or quotes from the Bible. I have provided perhaps the most famous: Vanitas vanitatum, omnia vanitas. “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity.”
In some respects I prefer this to one I posted a few years ago because this one has a dark backdrop, which reinforces the somber mood and meaning of the classic vanitas painting.
“The room itself is in messy disorder. On the table is a dish of fruit, which is real but appears artificial. Around it are grouped an ominous assortment of decanters, glasses, and heaped ash-trays, the latter still raising wavy smoke-ladders into the stale air—the effect on the whole needing but a skull to resemble that venerable chromo, once a fixture in every ‘den,’ which presents the appendages to the life of pleasure with delightful and awe-inspiring sentiment.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned)
This is my toolset for working documenary making. What you dont see are my two Abrahamsson Rapid Winders; mkI and mkII, these devices permit me to maintain full eye to VF contact at all times when using the cameras; focus, advance, aperture with the left hand and release with the right hand, and these M6's are manual cameras so the whole package works without power. Three small hip-flask shaped boxes which hold six rolls of film each, a 12" reflector which works well withthe flash for those times I have to use it, some cables for the recorder, my notebook, batteries, lens-caps, domke wraps, and my trusty Domke 803 Black canvas bag which looks nothing like what its carrying.
What you do see here is two Leica M6's the Chrome ones is a TTL version and that has the color film in it. An Elmarit-M ASPH 24mm f2.8, a Summilux-M 35mm f1.4, a Super-Wide-Heliar 15mm f4.5 with a double shoe adapter with the viewfinder and leveler, -I generally dont like to use VF's but for this lens its pretty important. A Gossen Digi-flash meter which is for backup -this is an outstanding meter for its size. A Sony PCM-D50 Linear recorder, this device is responsible for me getting into actually making documentaries again soon I will add to it with a rather expensive Sennheiser rifle-mic for more specific recording. And lastly my Olympus RC-35 which is home to my Voigtlander spot meter, the lens on this diminuitive camera is simply -off the charts- in terms of how it renders contrast tonality and dimensionality. I used to have Canonet QL17 GIII's which are the king of fixed lens era Rangefinders, but this thing is more pocketable, and at two stops slower, is still worth having because of that lens.
My prefferred methodology is analogue because it is infinitely more archivable. The PCM-D50 is the link breaker because it is digital and that is simply because for what you get in a $500 box is simply not available quality-wise on previous generation Professional grade cassette recorders.
I am currently in the research stage of a new work, something which I didnt do the first time and realize that research is for the most part, the biggest part of the whole process..
Shot on location as part of the architectural series in Markdorf, Germany. Post-processing done in Phocus 3.5 and Capture One 20.
Camera: Hasselblad FlexBody CP + rear fall
Lens: Hasselblad CF Distagon T* 4/40 FLE
Back: Hasselblad CFV II 50c
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
Filter: LEE .6 G S
I finally reached the English Channel in Eastbourne.
This morning, I rented a bicycle in Canterbury for a ride in the country to the ocean front town of Whitstable, a distance of about 11Km each way. There were some age related obstacles, called hills, and on the return trip, I decided to see what it felt like to walk the hills instead of riding.
Saddle soreness also left an impression :-0 The ride was on some roads, but mostly on cycle tracks, a combination of hard and gravel surfaces.
I don't think I can really impress upon you how good it was to get back to Canterbury.
So afterwards I did a bit of female shopping, picked up the rental car, which was bigger than I expected, and drove off into the sunset. As today's travels were not on a motorway, it was slow going.
The roads here are very narrow and people park on the road totally blocking that lane, meaning both ways of traffic have to take turns to get past on the remaining lane.
I also travelled on some roads that were just one lane with a 60Mph speed limit, which meant passing was interesting.
Anyway I made it safely and was grateful that Mrs Mail was not on board as she would have been panicking.
It was late afternoon when I reached the coast town of Eastbourne, and after a bite to eat, I went for a walk on the shore front. The English haven't yet come to grips with the concept of sandy beaches. They are really rocky beaches. There was an absence of swimmers for some reason, but the late sun makes for an enticing image.
The beach is a great leveler. Old people walk together and sit and watch the relentless wavyounger ably thinking about some part of their life somewhere together or otherwise.
Young people have a herding instinct and have little time for reminiscing as life still has to be lived, and it is where to do it.
Children don't have a care in the world which is full of play, ice cream and now.
Where would we be without beaches.
The Spirit of the Age Challenge
There is another shot saying goodbye to Canterbury below.
So here it is...
My campsite. Until about an hour ago.
This morning when I got up, there was a moat of water around my campsite. I had to jump over it to get to the road. Then it started raining. And raining, and raining, and raining, and raining... And. The moat started filling up my campsite.
Sometime this afternoon a guy from the campground knocked on my door and said he had to shut off the power as the electrical outlets were about to go underwater.
By around 6:00 the water under the motorhome was almost a foot deep. The campground guy had said that high tide was at 7:00. Although I'm a few miles in from the Gulf, I'm close enough to be affected by the tides. I decided that 8:30 would be decision time. I hate moving in the dark. If the water level went down between 7:00 to 8:30, I would stay. At 8:30... No change. So, I quickly packed up and got out. I'm now staying in a Walmart parking lot a few miles away. This Walmart is at extremely high elevation (about 12 feet)
I actually have leveler jacks under the motorhome to jack it up and level it. It was actually jacked up as high as it would go when I shot this.
Lower East Side street on a winter night.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
a cake that took me two days to complete - grand marnier syrup soaked chocolate genoise sponge, chocolate mousse, orange bavarois, topped with glacage chocolat noir (dark chocolate glaze) and orange fruit seches (dried orange slices). i left out the orange macarons which were supposed 2b on the decor coz it was just too much work. this cake looks simple but its made up of 5 components, and the thing abt french pastry/cake making is that, most steps require double boiling, or baking something using very low heat for long hours. take the orange fruit seches for eg. i actually baked them for abt 2 hrs on 80 deg C, and that's not inclusive of prior soaking in sugar syrup overnight!
and the lousy wilton cake leveler didnt do a good job. it just couldnt slice the sponge cake properly. boo!
Explore #496
Shot on location as part of the photowalk series.
Camera: Hasselblad FlexBody CP
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
Meter: Sekonic L-508
Retouch: Capture One 20
Bag: Wotancraft Shadow Warrior
Capacité de la décapeuse : 28,28 m³
Travaux de terrassement de la tranche 3 de ZAC Europôle 2 de la Communauté d'Agglomération Sarreguemines visant à créer 3 plateformes pour un total de 234 915 m².
Pays : France 🇫🇷
Région : Grand Est (Lorraine)
Département : Moselle (57)
Ville : Hambach (57910)
Adresse : ZAC Europôle 2
Construction : Avril 2025 → Novembre 2025
Rolleiflex 2.8F,
80mm Xenotar lens,
Fuji Acros ISO 100,
Developed in Rodinal 1+50 for 13 mins at 20C
Window light from right of subject.
The Nintendo Wii games console is the great leveler. With a game like Wii Boxing, it transform a sweet, quiet, little girl into a ruthless, super-competitive fighting machine.
Shot on location as part of the architectural series in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Post-processing done in Phocus 3.5.
Camera: Hasselblad FlexBody CP
Lens: Hasselblad CF Distagon T* 4/40 FLE
Back: Hasselblad CFV II 50c
Head: Arca-Swiss Core Leveler 75
Tripod: Gitzo GT3532LS
West 4th Street on a winter night.
Camera: Sony a99
---
We wander through streets
dusted with
the scattered remnants
of the sky's memories:
cloud debris
that cushions
the weight of hope
as we walk
with our faces turned
towards the city night's stars
that lead our way
into the melted light
of dreams.
---
I have been going through my large collection of city snow photographs both for a current client and for the book that I am writing and putting together. What I love the most about snow at night is the timeless quality it imparts to the city. It's the leveler of time in some respects.
--
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
The Stanford campus always looks like an oasis of twinkling lights at night.
Though it doesn't appear to be straight, the horizon is level (I have a built-in leveler in my 7D). I actually tried to straighten it, then realized I had created a "leaning tower of Stanford". (I think they do lean to the left here anyway....)
So, the lawn is sloped to the left, but the tower is vertical !